Over the past few weeks, our start-ups have been active participants in the Accelerate programme, working closely with mentors, attending networking sessions and our sea tour, tapping into the expertise of domain experts, and refining their proposals. They are all competing for the top spots at the finals of the PIER71 Smart Port Challenge - Great Circle 2024.
𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗛𝗔𝗩𝗘 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗥𝗧-𝗨𝗣𝗦 𝗕𝗘𝗘𝗡 𝗨𝗣 𝗧𝗢?
𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗚𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗧𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗶𝗲𝘀: a couple of start-ups have invented more efficient batteries using green energy sources, significantly cutting cost of adoption with longer lifespans and safer designs. These solutions are already in production and can be easily adopted for electrical applications on vessels such as hybrid propulsion or back-up power. On the flip side, critical functions such as pollution sensing and mobile emissions control help mitigate the risk of dangerous and climate-damaging emissions. Our start-ups have already secured partnerships with established stakeholders such as ports, as well as won various awards globally.
𝗦𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗦𝗵𝗶𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴: we look at uncrewed surface vehicles. These AI-enabled robots are able to detect security threats, marine asset inspection, monitoring real-time conditions and even conduct search and rescue operations. These all significantly reduce risky operations that previously required human presence at sea, especially in dangerous waters. These technologies have been successfully demonstrated with state agencies and maritime stakeholders and have secured significant investments to date.
𝗗𝗶𝗴𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: start-ups have been working on automating and optimising computations. They are pioneering solutions to address oversights and labour shortages in maritime operations. Methods include using digital twins to model fuel consumptions on vessels, or automating labour-intensive and error-prone digital tasks using AI. Our start-ups have already signed partnerships with larger backers to develop their solutions in real-world environments.
𝗡𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗣𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘀: start-ups have been working on connectivity. The maritime industry still faces significant connectivity issues, especially out at sea. Solutions include developing a non-public 5G network across large geographical areas and deploying a mesh network system for secure and reliable electronic transactions. In remote operations, our start-ups have already generated significant market traction other sectors and are adopting their services for maritime. Start-ups have also created maritime navigation systems integrated with AI and IoT to ensure safer voyages in crowded or unpredictable waters, and developed pollution treatment robots to perform remote oil spill recovery. Their solutions have already been utilised by vessel pilots and energy companies.
Reach out at enquiries@pier71.sg to find out more about the start-ups and if you want go get connected with them.